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Archive for the tag “events”

The weather is heating up, and so are the number of events to attend and things to do. Coming up is a one-of-a-kind presentation by Andreas Haberbeck on the Arabian Horses and their influences on other breeds, to be held this Tuesday June 17, 2014.

Jeddah International Dermatology & Cosmetics Conference” initiative was started in 2007 and over the last seven years we have witnessed the meeting grow and evolve every year in its scientific and academic values. Each year big names and great scientific minds from the local and international dermatological & aesthetic medical arena come together sharing cutting edge dermatological treatments and advances.

Guest blogger and dermatologist Dr. Shazia Ali met up with some of the top dermatologists this year to bring to you the highlights of the 7th international JeddaDerm conference, and as a bonus, quizzed them on valuable skincare advice. She shares her findings with us at Jeddah Blog.

Dr. Ali A. Al-Raddadi on the organizing committee shared his feelings on how the annual meet is progressing, “We are very proud of our JeddaDerm initiative and we are constantly trying to improve the scientific program, ensuring attendance of internationally renowned speakers who are the masters in their field and can add value to the knowledge of our attendees. We are also constantly trying to improve the exhibition standards in terms of product and material representations. Our target is ultimately to be the best of the best.”

Our target is ultimately to be the best of the best.

Dr. Ali Alraddadi also shared a social responsibility message; “One of the key objectives of this conference is to constantly improve the quality and caliber of knowledge of our local dermatological society hence, providing top notch dermatological care to our people.”

We are constantly trying to raise the bar, improving the scientific content, picking the best speakers from around the world and providing our attendees an exclusive experience.

Dr. Magdi R. Abdulghani sharing his organizational experience said, “The secret behind our steady success and growth is attention to micro-details. Organizing and managing a scientific conference is a mega mammoth project. We put a lot of hard work and diligent planning behind our scientific endeavour, JeddaDerm. We are constantly trying to raise the bar, improving the scientific content, picking the best speakers from around the world and providing our attendees an exclusive experience.

Our key philosophy is to listen to, and learn from, all mistakes big or small, and avoid them happening again. We encourage our speakers and great scientific minds to give us negative feedback so we can fix loopholes and come stronger and brighter next year – it’s a growing process. We are very proud that we have been successful in creating a niche platform in the whole of the Middle East. We are being recognized as one of the best scientific conferences in the region where great scientific minds can exchange ideas, learn, and grow to add value to our community.”

Our key philosophy is to listen to, and learn from, all mistakes big or small, and avoid them happening again.

Reflecting on the attendees, Dr. Sameer Zimmo enthuses, “We are extremely proud of the fact that we have been able to give the dermatologists in Jeddah an international level platform to share scientific data. This year we have witnessed a large increase of attendees from Saudi Arabia. Around 55 workshops were successfully organized for practical teaching and demonstration purposes.”

Don’t run after TV or media hype and instead, educate yourself about your skin and aesthetic care.

Reflecting on the growth of JeddaDerm from its inception, Dr. Zimmo expressed great pride and said, “It’s amazing to watch our baby grow and blossom. The organizing committee is always striving hard to update and improve the scientific content of the conference. We select the best speakers from all over the world. Just to quote some examples, we have had renowned and top notch dermatologists from UK, USA, Germany, Italy, Denmark, France, etc. participate and contribute in JeddaDerm during the last few years.”

And now we bring some valuable skincare advice to you from the experts.

Dr. Ali A. Al-Raddadi: “When you are looking for skincare advice, make sure you pick your doctor very carefully. Do your homework, search online, and educate yourself before you do any treatments. Be very careful when you are thinking about using skin lightening and bleaching products. Stay clear of cortisone and hydroquinone based creams which can leave you with serious side effects with long-term use.”

Talking about the rise of complications reported to dermatology clinics Dr. Ali Alraddadi advises us, to make sure we pick safe products and safe treatment choices. He stressed on self-education, “Ask safety questions to avoid unsafe creams and risky treatments”.

Dr. Magdi R. Abdulghani: “My sincere advice ladies is: don’t run after TV or media hype and instead, educate yourself about your skin and aesthetic care. It is incumbent to know what you want before you decide on any aesthetic treatments. Choose your doctors and treatment options carefully. Be safe!”

My advice to all the ladies who want to look young and beautiful for years to come is simple: Avoid smoking, practice safe sun exposure and don’t tan!

Dr. Sameer Zimmo: “Smoking and prolonged sun exposure are the main enemies of skin. Unfortunately, we are seeing the rise of smoking among females in the Middle East region. My advice to all the ladies who want to look young and beautiful for years to come is simple: Avoid smoking, practice safe sun exposure and don’t tan! By practicing these healthy skin habits you will have beautiful skin forever”.

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According to surveys, Saudi Arabia is the country with the highest number of YouTube viewers in the world. Statistics show that Saudis watch 90 million YouTube videos every single day.

In keeping with this theme, the Effat University Student Government is preparing for a super-exciting event, YouTube On Stage. YouTube on Stage is an event that is the first of its kind. The specialty of this particular event is that it is co-organized by YouTube.

Attendees will see their favourite YouTube stars live. The YouTubers will be talking about how the youth can revolutionize visual media and be socially creative in communicating with the masses, from the comfort of their home.

The event will be taking place on the 3rd of April in the JCCI Sheikh Ismail AbuDawood Hall from 5-10:30pm. The event is open to both males and females. Some of the planned speakers are Hattoon Kadi, Muhammad Makki, Eyad Mugazel, Anas Abdo and others.

Tickets for the event are available at both branches of Virgin Megastores for SR 130. For the Effat University faculty and students, the tickets are available at Effat restaurant and dining, and the Effat Student Government office at the same price.

For more information about the event or the speakers, you can email yos@effat.edu.sa, visit their Facebook Page, Facebook Event page or follow them on Twitter. Also, check out the YouTube on Stage promo video below.

The Annual Quilt Show is being held once again on Wednesday 6th March 2013 from 11am-6pm. Beautiful quilts will be on display, some for sale. There will be a bake sale, a mini quilt tombola, and a beautiful quilt will be awarded as a prize for some lucky person!

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Ignite Jeddah is an exciting event coming up in March at the Effat University. Ignite is a worldwide event, where participants are given five minutes to speak about their ideas and personal or professional passions, accompanied by 20 slides. Each slide is displayed for 15 seconds, and slides are automatically advanced. The presentations are meant to ignite the audience on a subject, i.e. to generate awareness and to stimulate thought and action on the subjects presented.

Sumaiyya Naseem, Marketing Manager for the event explains, “Ignite is an international geek event for people with passion and eagerness to know and share. The speakers will share their personal and professional stories to inspire you.”

Ignite was started by Brady Forrest, who is the Technology Evangelist for O’Reilly Media, and by Bre Pettis of Makerbot.com The first Ignite took place in Seattle in 2006, and since then the event has become an international phenomenon, with gatherings in Helsinki, Finland; Paris, France; New York, New York; and many other locations. At Ignite Jeddah, 20 well-known and educated youth will talk about their personal and professional stories. It’s going to be a wonderful night of motivation and success stories. The event is hosted by Effat University, and organized by the Effat SG (Effat University Student Government). It will take place of 7th March in the Effat Hall from 5:00 – 10:30 PM.

You can register here. Tickets cost 100 SR and they will be sold at Virgin Megastores and at the day of the event. The organizers say that it’s very important to register online, and once the tickets are available e-mails will be sent to the people who registered.

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For some family entertainment, consider visiting the Family Festival planned for the 31st of January 2013 at the Seasons Restaurant, opposite Al Baik on Siteen Street – next to Zahid Tractors Head Office. There will be stalls for ladies’ cosmetics, jewellery, clothing, abaayas and food. The event will begin at 5pm and will end at 11:30pm.

Rohail A. Khan, senior banker and finance director, has been living in Saudi Arabia since 1993 and is developing communities through literature, culture and philanthropy. As chief guest of the memorial service of the Father of Urdu, Rohail Khan reports the success and conclusions of the event for Jeddah Blog.

For the first time in Saudi Arabia, a grand event was organized in the memory of Baba-e-Urdu (Father of Urdu), Dr. Moulvi Abdul Haq, to commemorate his 140th birthday and to propagate his message. Jeddah has rarely witnessed such extraordinary enthusiasm and exemplary love for Urdu.

Who was Baba-e-Urdu?

Baba-e-Urdu (1872-1961) was an acclaimed Urdu educator, writer, critic, linguist, lexicographer, editor, compiler, translator, etymologist, biographer and grammarian. He authored more than 20 books on these areas. Having realized the slow demise of the Persian language, Moulvi Abdul Haq devoted his entire life to making Urdu the primary language of the sub-continent and to placing it head-to-head with English and Arabic. He founded and managed Anjuman Taraqqi-e-Urdu, an organization dedicated to the promotion of Urdu language and literature, for 50 years pre-partition. During his migration in 1947, he carried 15,000 rare Urdu books from Delhi to Karachi. He was the moving spirit behind the establishment of the Osmania University in Hyderabad, Deccan, where Urdu is still one of the mediums of instruction. The world’s largest Urdu Translation Centre was established where rare Urdu books and Deccani manuscripts were translated and published. He was also instrumental in setting up the world’s first Islamia College for Women, Lahore in 1939, and Pakistan’s first Urdu College in Karachi (1949). He was the creator of the world’s largest Urdu-English Dictionary (1930) and in 1959 initiated the grand project of compiling a Modern Urdu Dictionary in 22 volumes. This project was completed three years ago under the Urdu Dictionary Board, Pakistan.

The Memorial Event

The memorial event was held at Lasani Restaurant on the evening of 21st November, 2012. The successful event had been organized by the Aalmi Urdu Markaz and welcomed more than 275 guests from all walks of life. Men, women and especially youngsters hailing from assorted nationalities all gathered together to commemorate Baba-e-Urdu’s 140th birthday. Multi-cultural community leaders, social workers, businessmen and literary figures added to the light of the event. The audience were treated to a four-hour literary discussions and poetic recitations and warmly applauded the proceedings.

A very diverse audience commemorating the 140th birthday of the Father of Urdu.

The event took off with a short video containing a speech by Baba-e-Urdu and his life story with rare pictures, before the poetry recitals and literary discussions.

On stage from left: V.P. of Aalmi Urdu Markaz, Rohail A. Khan, Hon. Tahseem ul-Haq, President of Aalmi Urdu Markaz and poet Anwar Ansari with the Executive Team from Aalmi Urdu Markaz.

Chief Guest, Rohail Khan, shared his thoughts on Baba-e-Urdu with the organizers and participants, and offered practical suggestions to promote and protect Urdu.

“Architect and saviour of Urdu language and literature, Baba-e-Urdu, Dr. Moulvi Abdul Haq’s lifetime services to protect and promote Urdu are spread over 75 years. He proved a Prophet of Urdu and his message must be adequately propagated for the benefit of current and future generations. Le us not forget that Urdu, 4th largest language, is spoken by over 100 million people across 5 continents.”

7 Steps to Promote Urdu

Rohail A. Khan suggested seven projects to promote Urdu:

Renew the Anjuman-e-Taraqqi-e-Urdu and propagate its mission across the globe by supporting tertiary local and international Urdu-serving institutions.

Promote the importance of Urdu as a means to enhance our knowledge about Islam.

Build the brand of Urdu world-wide through the proactive use of social media.

Studying Baba-e-Urdu’s works and achievements and spreading his message by establishing Urdu faculties and research chairs at Ivy League Universities for the award of doctorate degrees on Urdu.

Launch new Urdu periodicals, Urdu dictionaries and encyclopaedia.

Identify and promote upcoming Urdu writers and poets.

Launch “Urdu Academy International” as a global think-tank to incubate new ideas and projects to promote and protect Urdu.

The first goal is to launch the cause of making Urdu one of the official languages of Facebook. Rohail Khan can be reached at rohailkhan00@gmail.com and on Facebook.

Many of us heard via social media about the play Head Over Heels in Saudi Arabia being performed at the Effat University. Our very own Anousha Vakani was lucky to win tickets and attend the performance. She pens down her thoughts and reviews Head Over Heels in Saudi Arabia exclusively for Jeddah Blog.

Head Over Heels in Saudi Arabia – a satirical look at the lives of Saudi women.

When I first heard about Maisah Sobaihi’s solo performance Head Over Heels in Saudi Arabia over a year ago, I was just as surprised as everyone else to hear that such live entertainment exists here for, and most importantly BY women. I was looking forward to attending the October 2012 performance and luckily enough none of my expectations were disappointed as the play was every bit as witty and poignant as previous reviews and promos promised.

Also worth mentioning is that I happened to win one out of three giveaway tickets from Alaa Balkhy’s blog, so a shout-out of appreciation is due to Alaa Balkhy, her blog and her designs at Fyunka for being the cherry on top of a wonderful evening.

October 2012 introduced the first ever Arabic performance of Head Over Heels in Saudi Arabia. However, as I don’t speak Arabic, I attended the English performance at Effat University on the 9th of October. The English performance was peppered with just the right amount of Arabic words and phrases to add to the hilarity and Arab flavour of the play.

Head Over Heels in Saudi Arabia is a satirical performance based on the private lives of Saudi women. As if pulling off a show that dances with almost dangerous grace around such a theme isn’t an extraordinary feat on its own, Maisah Sobaihi also plays the role of writer, director and sole actor of her performance. This one-woman show is the perfect blend between a play and stand-up comedy, and Ms. Sobaihi switches with fluid ease from playing the different characters and narrating the scenes unfolding before her audience.

Maisah Sobaihi captivating on stage.

The curtain rises to the sound of music and a striking first impression as the stage is divided into three sets, each designed as per the classic Arabian tastes of colour and lavishness. Dressed in red and black, Maisah Sobaihi begins her performance with an introduction on how she “fell in love in Saudi Arabia” against all odds. Right from the very beginning Ms. Sobaihi is engaged in a conversation with her audience; an audience that relates to her story and to the stories of Maryam and Laylah.

She introduces the character of Maryam as a wife and mother of two who finds out through the grapevine that her husband has taken a second wife. Ms. Sobaihi then takes over the plush seats of the central set and as Maryam, has a rather comic conversation with her husband who hints at an interest in taking a second wife. She initially laughs off his ridiculous reasoning of being overcome with a sense of social responsibility towards the single and divorced women of Saudi society. She retorts that if he has indeed been “struck by the cupid of social responsibility” there are a number of projects he can undertake instead, cleaning up the litter on the Corniche being only one of her many spirited suggestions.

A superb performance by Ms. Sobaihi.

Maryam’s husband then has an official wedding and Ms. Sobaihi attends it as Maryam’s spy but due to the characteristically loud music of Saudi weddings can’t understand whether wife number two is “a teacher or a preacher.”

In keeping with the light-hearted mood of the play, Maryam’s outbursts of rage combined with her incredible wit are comical for the most part, but a hush resonates in the audience as her husband’s betrayal becomes more apparent and they watch her heart break on stage.

Laylah, who is introduced in-between Maryam’s story and Ms. Sobaihi’s riveting commentary on the social issues unfolding before us, is also a mother but a divorcee of seven years. Laylah is a loud and lovable personality, and while she has a job and comes off as generally independent, she admits to being lonely. When Laylah takes the stage she is casually lounging on a chair smoking hookah and trying to convince Ms. Sobaihi to dive into a Misyar marriage. The audience is drawn into a hilarious one-sided banter as Laylah counters every one of Ms. Sobaihi’s arguments against Misyar marriages.

Ms. Sobaihi then moves to the center of the stage to comment on the conversation that has just taken place. She explains that after her divorce, her friends and family tried to convince her to remarry, but she remained convinced that ‘you can’t hurry love’. At this point she breaks out into a song and invites the audience to join in.

Apart from love, marriage and conventionality, Ms. Sobaihi touches lightly on other issues including transportation. She portrays the dependency of Saudi women on their drivers as she calls Mohammad at three in the morning overcome by a sweet-tooth craving for chocolates from Danube.

She also talks about the Saudi obsession with gossip, retorting through Maryam that in this society people go out of their way to “make sure you know exactly what you don’t want to know.”

The stories of Maryam and Laylah take pretty predictable turns but the combination of Ms. Sobaihi’s flawless acting and commentary make for an overall touching and perceptive performance. Right before curtain fall, Ms. Sobaihi returns to the topic of the love of her own life and brings in a surprise which makes for a perfectly appropriate ending.

Head Over Heels in Saudi Arabia is a comical insight and a very artistic representation of social issues pertaining to Saudi society and a definite must-watch. If you happened to miss it this October stay tuned to Maisah Sobaihi’s official website, Facebook and Twitter pages for updates on upcoming performances.

As the intense heat begins to relinquish its hold and the evenings become pleasant and cool, funfairs and bazaars begin to spring up all over Jeddah. On the 3rd and 4th of October, the Jamjoom Compound on Malik Road will be hosting the Sewar Bazar for ladies and children under 12 years old. The Bazaar will feature a fashion show, children’s area, gifts and many stalls for those looking to make purchases on the day.

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A night of musical and poetry performances, camaraderie and Hejazi style bbq.

Jeddah Spring Vortex "Open-Mic"

Jeddah Music Community (JMC) is helping to organize an open mic night showcasing local Jeddah talents in an "unplugged" style atmosphere. As always JMC is involved to encourage musicians and non-musicians with a passion for music to connect, collaborate, socialize, and perform.

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A children's workshop with Saddik Wasil, coming up at Athr. Learn how to make art from waste materials and scrap. Young engineers, carpenters, who've been itching to put a tool to good use, here's your chance. And as we said already, Saddik will click naturally with kids. He's a slightly overgrown kid himself.

Learn how to make art from discarded material with Artist Saddek Wasil.

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Solo show by young Saudi sculptor Saddik Wasil from Mecca opens tomorrow at the Athr Gallery.

There are numerous verses from the Koran which illustrate the wondrous diversity with which God has created mankind, be it in shape, size, colour, character, ability or talent. The richness of this diversity is no more evident than at the holiest site of Mecca Almukkarrama. Its historic location as a pilgrimage as well as a trade route destination saw millions of different peoples from all four corners of the globe flock to its gates every year, a phenomena that continues to this day. Thus the scene is set for the life and work of the artist Saddek Wasil, who recognized this diversity as an endless stream of solid gold inspiration that would be the driving force of his work. The artist considers his own talent, the ability to work with and manipulate metal, as his very own gift from God.

As with many artists, Saddek is influenced by his surroundings and the happenings of the world around him, with a particular focus on humans and human emotions. The myriad of individuals that visit Mecca and the Ka’aba do so in order to commune with God as a way to deal with their problems and the changing, fast-paced environments they live in.Wasil’s work The Mask investigates the role of the facades that people assume, as a form of protection, an armor against the world. With time, these masks become a part of you. This fear of transparency leads us to eventually become lost, even to ourselves and we forget who we truly are.

Faces of Tin (Stop) is a re-exploration of ‘Wasil’s Faces of Tin’ series – a collection of discarded oil, paint and petrol tin cans lay side by side. They are flattened and carved out to reveal faces. There was once a time when interpersonal relationships and encounters with people were treasured and valued. Now, everyone seems expendable and we discard people from our lives as easily as we would a tin can. The discarded faces of tin are a reminder to be accepting, to be patient and to pay attention, for each is special, unique and different..

The dallah is a symbol of Arabism and Arab hospitality and is a common feature in every household. It evokes scenes of union and dialogue from bygone times. The work Game of Dallahs is the artist’s redefinition of Chess, once dubbed the Game of Kings. In lieu of regular chess pieces, the artist uses dallah coffeepot covers, which ironically resemble medieval Muslim soldiers’ helmets. The game is a reference to the ongoing battle between tradition and modernity and the importance of the survival of the traditions that are key components of the Arab identity.Saddek Wasil is a witness to the daily struggles of his fellow man as well as an observer of their innermost struggles at the moment when they are at their most vulnerable and transparent, in the house of God. His work is in no way judgmental as he rejects the role of the judge; it is merely a recognition of diversity in all its shapes, forms and colours. His work is about understanding, acceptance and tolerance and foremost, it is about the acknowledgement of seen and unseen realities…’And they will not cease to differ…’

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For those tuned in to the promise of things, Young Saudi Artists measures some telling parameters in the nascent art landscape of Saudi Arabia.

In its second edition this year in February 2012, the Young Saudi Artists takes on a character of its own as an art event, emerging as a spirited amateur art expo. In the nascent art landscape of Saudi Arabia, this event serves two purposes – it diversifies the range by offering an alternative kind of art experience, casual and more democratized in mood, but in the long-term, it also harnesses an emerging loose end of creative output, which might wither for want of timely mentorship and encouragement. In the wider international art market, the Saudi art scene is, although phenomenal in its rise, still a fledgling one, grappling with the very real challenges of the art market – the realities and forces of demand and supply, and a constant guarantee of artistic produce. It is with an eye to the future that this platform was created to nurture this embryonic art life, rising to life swiftly although haphazardly.

Who are these young Saudi artists? With very few exceptions, these are mostly youngsters, falling in an age group of 16 to late twenties. They are college and university graduates, some majoring in design and some not, high-schoolers ‘on a break for self-discovery’, professional or amateur photographers, doodlers, bloggers, and part-time creatives who have pursued some form of creative activity for some time, related or unrelated to their professions but have only recently found the opportunity for a significant and irreversible visibility, both home and abroad. Activities and forums of expression, exhibitions, talent-hunts and competitions for amateurs have begun to emerge here only as early as a couple of years ago, as off-shoots of the larger umbrella of Edge of Arabia, and have caught on like wildfire since. These newly created opportunities are mostly the motors that spurred these youngsters towards performance and recognition. What the banner of these initiatives, among them Young Saudi Artists, offers them is an initial walk through the first stages of preparedness, so that those who have the grit can go on and prove their mettle in the many ways available to young artists in the region today. The work that YSA showcases is really an undefined loose end, still indistinct in form or prospect, but it is an end nonetheless, and wisdom calls for timely mentorship and nurture rather than skepticism and abandon.